Sport
15 February, 2024
Milestone for Hay
LAST Saturday week marked a special milestone in the cricketing career of local, Paul Hay.
Hay played his 300th game for the Noorat Terang Lions Cricket Club when the side took on North Warrnambool Eels.
Hay has played for both Terang and Noorat before the clubs merged.
His first game for Terang was back in 1990 against Bookaar in B grade – in the season that ended a long premiership drought for Terang.
His first stint at Terang was from 1990-91 to 1995-96.
Hay then went to Noorat and returned for the 2004-05 season.
His career saw him play 266 games at Terang, 27 at Noorat and seven to date this season with the merged clubs.
Hay has made 4044 runs at an average of 17.1 with his best being an unbeaten 79.
In his younger days he was a tearaway quick bowler and now rarely bowls.
He has taken 226 wickets at 20.1 with the best figures of 5/23 and, at times later in his career, he also filled in the role of wicket keeper.
Hay, who has taken 79 catches and been involved in four run-outs, also spent a few years captaining Terang’s division three side in the SWCA, taking teams to the finals.
For his 300th game, Hay was promoted to opening the batting – where he was dismissed for the first time this season.
A dedicated club member, he also spends a number of hours on the rough cutter, maintaining the surrounds at the Terang grounds.
With the merging of cricket statistics from both clubs, the Lions have seen a number of players achieve milestones this season.
This has included - Simon Densley (250 games); John Clarke and Luke Kenna (200), Gus Bourke, Sam Munro Jack and Isaac Kenna (100 games) and Jessie Unthank is two games short of 100 games.
There still some Noorat scorebooks missing that the club would be keen to see to help fill the gaps for current players.